The ModRetro Chromatic is the latest attempt to cash in on retro nostalgia. It’s a slick-looking Game Boy Color knockoff that competes with the bespoke and perennially out-of-stock Analogue Pocket by playing all of your original Game Boy cartridges. The main difference is that the ModRetro Chromatic is being sold and…
The ModRetro Chromatic is the latest attempt to cash in on retro nostalgia. It’s a slick-looking Game Boy Color knockoff that competes with the bespoke and perennially out-of-stock Analogue Pocket by playing all of your original Game Boy cartridges. The main difference is that the ModRetro Chromatic is being sold and…
Magnet is bringing an intense trailer for Lee Tamahori’s (Once Were Warriors, The Edge, xXx: State of the Union) action drama The Convert to theaters and on-demand on July 12, 2024, but not before footage from the film spills blood online. The gripping tale of survival stars Guy Pearce (Memento, The Hurt Locker, L.A. Confidential) as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes. The Convert trailer is ambitious and brutal, displaying a power clash for control over land and loyalty.
Lee Tamahori’s The Convert premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 as part of a special presentation. Before the screening, festival organizers released the following description of the film:
As the tall ship carrying preacher Thomas Monro (Guy Pearce) arrives on the shores of the settler town of Epworth, he enters a world he could scarcely have imagined. Despite the growing colonial British presence in the early 19th century, Aotearoa—the South Pacific islands that would become known as New Zealand—is still very much dominated by Māori. The settlement is a ramshackle assortment of buildings heavily influenced by the political struggles between two warring Māori iwi or tribes.
Munro soon learns to navigate the complex dynamics at play within the community and with the iwi. Epworth leases its land from the local iwi headed by Maianui (Antonio Te Maioha), whose nation struggles with the aggressive might of his counterpart, Akatarawa (Lawrence Makoare), whose brutality in claiming territories threatens Epworth’s Tenuous stability.
Munro finds himself in Maianui’s good favour after he saves his daughter Rangimai’s life. Bonded by their experience, Munro and Rangimai share a desire to see peace come to the region, and they venture into Akatarawa’s territory to end the conflicts despite the seeming impossibility of their mission. Tensions escalate to a climactic battle that ultimately forges a new path forward for both iwi and Munro himself.
The Convert trailer blends political intrigue with emotional action as a fight for peace rages throughout a tortured land. Do you have the stomach for such rage? We’ll find out when The Convert comes to theaters and digital platforms on July 12, 2024.
The post Guy Pearce straddles a bloody divide between two warring Māori tribes in The Convert trailer appeared first on JoBlo.
Hey, late-stage capitalism has reached a new and depressing milestone: Digital stores run by real people.
Hey, late-stage capitalism has reached a new and depressing milestone: Digital stores run by real people.
With less than three weeks until the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, fans are clamoring for information on the expansion. The one and only DLC for FromSoftware’s award-winning action RPG Elden Ring is the big release of the summer, dropping on June 21. While we’ve had a couple of teases of the expansion’s new gamepla…
With less than three weeks until the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, fans are clamoring for information on the expansion. The one and only DLC for FromSoftware’s award-winning action RPG Elden Ring is the big release of the summer, dropping on June 21. While we’ve had a couple of teases of the expansion’s new gamepla…
The physical media distributor Shout Factory has been announcing quite a bit of cool new 4K releases lately. Most recently, we reported on the all-new 4K UHD Blu-ray box set on the Bill & Ted Trilogy that includes Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and Bill & Ted Face the Music. Blu-ray.com also revealed additional titles coming from the label. This August will see the 4K special releases of the Cannon Film classic The Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris, and a steelbook edition of the 1996 film from director Rob Cohen that features Sean Connery as a talking dragon, DragonHeart.
The synopsis on the Delta Force 4K Blu-ray reads,
“Political extremists have taken innocent people hostage…and only super-soldiers Chuck Norris (Walker: Texas Ranger, Good Guys Wear Black) and Lee Marvin (The Dirty Dozen, The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance) can rescue them in this “astounding mix of fact, fantasy and heavy-duty adventure” (Variety). Co-starring Martin Balsam and Shelley Winters, The Delta Force is 130 non-stop minutes of explosive, wall-to-wall action! When a U.S. passenger plane is seized by vicious hijackers and taken to Beirut, the President calls in The Delta Force a crack team of commandos led by Colonel Nick Alexander (Marvin) and Major Scott McCoy (Norris). Against all odds, the men blast into the compound and—taking no prisoners—rescue the hostages. But the mission is not yet over. A few remaining passengers are being “escorted” to Tehran, initiating a desperate race against time as Alexander and McCoy try to save them—and avenge America’s honor—before it’s too late.
STREET DATE: AUGUST 13.”
And the specs include:
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles
English SDH
Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A
And the synopsis on the DragonHeart 4K Steelbook reads,
“Long ago, when majestic fire-breathers soared through the skies, there lived a knight who would come face to face and heart to heart with the most remarkable creature that ever existed—the dragon. Dennis Quaid stars with the voice of Academy Award® winner Sean Connery in the heroic adventure that blazes with fantasy and humor. Dragonheart is an epic adventure that will thrill the entire family.
STREET DATE: AUGUST 6.”
And the specs include:
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles
English SDH
Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
Packaging
SteelBook
Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A
The post Delta Force and DragonHeart get all new 4K Blu-ray releases from Shout Factory appeared first on JoBlo.
Yesterday, a poster was unveiled for director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, is set to reach theatres on August 16th (you can watch the teaser HERE and check out the poster HERE) – and with that poster came the promise that a trailer for the film would be making its way online today. True to their word, 20th Century Studios has just unveiled the new trailer for Alien: Romulus, and you can watch it in the embed above!
When this project was announced near the start of 2022, it was said that Álvarez pitched the idea to Ridley Scott years ago and it stuck with Scott. So in late 2021, he called Álvarez and asked if he still wanted to make an Alien movie. Clearly, the answer was yes. 20th Century Studios division president Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter that they picked up the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch. It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.“
It has also been said that the story Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues crafted for Alien: Romulus is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise – but it’s not ignoring any of the other entries, either. Álvarez has been clear about the fact that his story takes place within the established franchise continuity. In fact, it slots right in between the events of Alien and Aliens. It has the following official logline: The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Industry), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (The Batman), and Aileen Wu (Away from Home). Merced has said there’s a scene in the film that’s so disgusting that a lot of viewers will have to look away, so that goes along with the “graphic and gruesome” description. “Graphic and gruesome” is what we expected from this movie as soon as it was announced that it was being made by the director of Evil Dead 2013 and Don’t Breathe.
This new Alien movie is coming to us from Momentum and 20th Century Studios, with Ridley Scott producing through his Scott Free banner.
What did you think of the Alien: Romulus trailer? Will you be watching this movie when it reaches the big screen in August? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Alien: Romulus trailer: Fede Alvarez unleashes the xenomorph on a new batch of victims this August appeared first on JoBlo.
PLOT: An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….
REVIEW: The reception for Disney-era Star Wars has been uneven, to say the least. While The Force Awakens broke box office records, The Last Jedi became the most divisive sequel of all time, and The Rise of Skywalker pooped the bed for most fans. Still, the anthology films Rogue One and Solo have dedicated fans, which is more than can be said for any of the Disney+ Star Wars series outside of The Mandalorian and Andor. Fans have been once again divided over Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, leading to a muted lead-up to the premiere of The Acolyte. Created by Russian Doll showrunner Leslye Headland, The Acolyte delves over a century before The Phantom Menace to the wholly Disney-created era known as The High Republic. Featuring a diverse cast led by Amandla Stenberg and Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae in his English language debut, The Acolyte benefits from not being held down by Skywalker mythology, which allows it to explore a unique angle to the space opera battles between the dueling sides of the Force, resulting in an exciting and action-packed series that is the most original Star Wars has been in decades.
While Disney+ unveils the first two chapters of The Acolyte tomorrow, I have seen the first four episodes of the eight-episode series. Like prior Star Wars series, the episodes vary in length, from the premiere clocking in close to an hour to the fourth episode barely hitting thirty minutes. A lot is packed into each episode, which feels much more cohesive than in prior series, with no subplots or deviations from the main narrative outside of an episode comprised entirely of a flashback. The full trailer for the series gives a good idea of the overall concept of the series, which follows a mysterious warrior who is murdering Jedi and the knights on her trail. The trailer tease looks at the High Republic look, reminiscent of George Lucas’ prequels, and what may or may not be a coven of Nightsisters. Much is revealed in the episodes I have seen, which seems to lead to the first canon appearance of a Sith Lord, something Disney took out of continuity when it absorbed Lucasfilm. I will not divulge how this reveal comes to pass, but the series does some great work leading up to the tense moment.
Before I discuss the show itself, let’s talk about the setting of the High Republic. By taking the story back to before the prequel films, Disney and Lucasfilm are exploring an era never seen before the publication of a series of novels over the last few years. If you have read the books, they follow a conflict between the ruling Jedi and an army of pirates known as the Nihil. Rather than focus on that rivalry, The Acolyte is focused on the perception of the Jedi by the masses. Rather than mysterious warriors and mystics, the Jedi are looked at like a totalitarian regime, with many of the average denizens of the galaxy fearing them the way the Empire would eventually be feared. It is an intriguing perspective to see the tribe often seen as examples of the Light Side as villainous. There are elements of beauracracy and control that are seen in these episodes, but the main Jedi embodied in the form of Sol (Lee Jung-jae), his padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), and new knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) who are tasked with finding Amandla Stenberg’s character. We see other Jedi, including masters Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), Kelnacca (Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo), and Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson), who are examples of the best the Order has to offer.
Amandla Stenberg portrays twin sisters, something not revealed in the trailers but has since been made known through interviews, named Osha and Mae. The twins represent the two sides of the Force, one serving as Sol’s padawan and the other a darker master. The sisters are the daughters of Mother Aniseya, the leader of a coven of Force witches who may or may not be Nightsisters. We also meet Qimir (Manny Jacinto), a smuggler connected to the Dark Side. All of these characters are immediately interesting to watch. Their introductions have similarities to Star Wars stories from the past with the signature scene wipes, an array of new alien designs as well as familiar ones (nice appearance by the Trade Federation in the first episode), new Droids like Pip, and planets like Coruscant as well as new worlds handily named with on-screen graphics, something rarely done in Star Wars projects before. The action is also quite something. While the Jedi are featured heavily, and we see a lot of lightsabers, the combat uses more martial arts than I was expecting, giving the series a break from the swordplay and gunfire that has consumed the franchise. The fight scenes are well-choreographed and complement the storyline and era.
In addition to creating the series and writing the first episode, Leslye Headland helmed the two opening chapters of The Acolyte before handing over directing duties to Kogonada (After Yang, Pachinko), Alex Garcia Lopez (Cowboy Bebop, The Witcher), and Hanelle Culpepper (Star Trek Discovery) who each direct two episodes. The cinematic quality of The Acolyte sometimes leaves something to be desired, with many outdoor scenes clearly shot on a soundstage, taking away from the scale Star Wars usually has. But, the directors evoke solid performances from the cast, who help make this fantastical science fiction world seem tangible. While Headland oversaw a writing staff of eleven scribes for an eight-episode series, some of their dialogue does not rise above what George Lucas penned himself on the prequel films. Yes, it can be a bit silly, but most of the dialogue works within the confines of this mythology. The solid score by Michael Abels and the cinematography by James Friend and Chris Teague accentuates this. This crew overcomes any limitations on the production design by focusing on the characters.
The Acolyte boasts a solid performance from Amandla Stenberg in the lead roles and an impressive English language debut for Lee Jung-jae. With supporting performances from Jodie Turner-Smitih and Margarita Levieva that I will not spoil here, The Acolyte has far different stakes than any Star Wars project before. By taking a darker angle that involves revenge and murder, this series explores sides of the galaxy we have not seen to this degree on screen before. Death is nothing new in Star Wars, but Leslie Headland’s series looks at it in a unique way for the franchise. While I have only seen the first half of the series and have been burned by the back half of prior Star Wars shows, the consistency of these opening chapters has me more invested in what comes next. I appreciate that The Acolyte is a new era for live-action Star Wars that presents a challenge for audiences to invest in, but this is old school Star Wars: action-packed, full of unique and intriguing characters, and setting up a story that we do not know. The Acolyte represents a new chapter in the Star Wars mythos that will be very fun to explore.
Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres with two episodes on June 5th at 9pm EST on Disney+.
The post Star Wars: The Acolyte TV Review appeared first on JoBlo.